Ahead of Wednesday night's meeting between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, head coach Tiago Splitter provided an important update on his No. 15 overall pick.
With the G League season officially beginning on Friday, the Bulls plan to send Dailyn Swain to Hoffman Estates. Splitter shared the news with traveling beat reporters, including the Chicago Sun-Times Joe Cowley .
All things considered, the decision doesn't come as a major surprise. It was largely expected that the Bulls' second 2026 first-rounder would see some time at the G League level this year. Not only is it perfectly common, but his struggles in Summer League and the preseason showed that the transition to NBA play may take some time.
The Bulls have also been somewhat hesitant to let Swain run free over the first couple of weeks. The swingman has appeared in only two games for a total of 19 minutes. While there is a case to make that he's deserved more of an opportunity in this rebuilding environment, the lack of that speaks to where he is in these early stages. Clearly, the coaching staff believes some extra time in the G League will do him good.
Fans should want to see the same thing. The best way to improve is through live-game action. Swain will also surely get plenty of extra attention on the Windy City roster and serve as a main offensive hub. Especially if this Bulls team hopes to turn him into more of a lead ball-handler, this time in the G League could work wonders. And, above all else, it'll hopefully build his confidence as he likely eyes more consistent NBA playing time in the second half of the season.
Nov 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Chicago Bulls forward Zach Collins (12) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Chicago Bulls were on the brink of having a fully healthy center rotation for the first time this season. Then, Jalen Smith took a hard tumble against the Knicks.
The recent starting center was forced to leave the game with a wrist injury, leaving the Bulls to go with Zach Collins and Patrick Williams at the five. Smith has already been playing through a finger injury, and the wrist issue appeared to be on the same hand. The good news is that Smith told K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network that he may be able to play this Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers. In other words, it doesn't appear too serious. The bad news is that it's still possibly another ailment to play through.
Not to mention, Collins' play hasn't been all that promising to start the season. Does he deserve some grace considering he's played just 15 games since the start of the 2025-26 season? Absolutely, but the veteran big man has still struggled to look comfortable in this new Bulls system.
There is also no telling what Nic Claxton will look like as a Bull. Make no mistake, having him available is a positive for this frontcourt, but just how big of a positive? Can he actually help clean up this abysmal defense? Isn't that a lot to ask of him after missing nearly all of training camp and preseason?
Indeed, just because Claxton is on the verge of getting the green light doesn't mean that things will look up for the Bulls in the coming days and weeks. He will still be going through an adjustment period of his own, and there are still questions about his fit alongside the team's two young wings.
The Bulls are currently allowing teams to shoot nearly 49.0 percent from the field and score 53.0 points in the paint per game (5th most). The blowout losses are only going to continue if this center rotation can't provide better rim protection.
Nov 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (8) talks to head coach Tiago Splitter during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Caleb Wilson has slipped in the NBA's latest Rookie Ladder .
Previously coming in at No. 3, the 20-year-old is back in familiar territory. He is currently listed at No. 4 behind Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies, Yaxel Lendeborg of the Warriors, and Darius Acuff Jr. of the Kings. While the former two have been in front of Wilson all season long, Acuff's recent surge earned him the Top 3 nod.
Acuff is averaging 26.1 points and 6.3 assists per game. Sacramento's No. 7 overall pick has also had arguably the most impressive game by any rookie this season, dropping 38 points with nine made threes against Boozer's Grizzlies.
To be sure, none of this means that Wilson is slipping out of the Rookie of the Year conversation. Putting aside the Bulls' sluggish start, he is still playing some high-level basketball over his first seven games. At the same time, this is a good early indication of just how difficult taking home the hardware will be. Boozer and Lendeborg, in particular, look ready to make a very strong run at the award.
What Boozer is doing, in particular, is hard to ignore. Lendeborg is at least coming into the NBA at 24 years old. Boozer is 19 years old and leading the way for a 6-2 Grizzlies team. Wilson is going to have to stack the highlight reel to distract voters from the winning record.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/bulls/onsi as Bulls Notes: Important Dailyn Swain Update, Big Man Problems, Rookie Ladder? .
